Its not just
the adults that have concerns about the Pledge of Allegiance. We
kids have concerns about it too.Here is a kid (teenager)
who was scared to stand up for what is important to him.

Every Monday during the announcements, we are asked to stand and
say the Pledge of Allegiance. On the best days, half the class
will stand and even less will actually say it. I also know that
only a few have sound religious or cultural reasons for doing so.
For most people, its just not that big of a deal, and
whether or not they stand has no bearing on how they live their
lives.

I know this is a big deal, and I get very frustrated when other
people dont recognize its importance. People who dont
stand because they are lazy or just dont care are
completely disregarding and disrespecting our American freedoms
and beliefs. Individuals who just dont bother are ignoring
all those who sacrificed themselves for a common belief 
the United States and what we stand for and represent as a
nation.

I believe people who choose not to stand due to religious or
philosophical reasons are at the very least utilizing the
freedoms that our country provides and respecting what our
constitution provides for us  an arena for the expression
of our own ideas and beliefs. We are and have been a consistent
and reliable beacon in the world for equal rights, free
expression and liberty. At the very least we can acknowledge this
by pledging our allegiance to the country, the people, and the
ideals that make it what it is.

Most people I talk to about this issue think I make a little too
big a deal of it, but I feel strongly in the importance of this
pledge. The youth of the United States are living in one of the
most important and pivotal time periods in the history, and we
will be making monumental decisions for our future as a nation.
Being united under a single cause and striving to a single goal
can change us as a nation; it can all start by reaffirming our
faith in the United States

A North High School student, who feels strongly about this
matter, wrote this.

I
Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and
to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Original
Version:

"I
pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it
stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for
all."

On
September 8,1892, the Boston based "The Youth's
Companion" magazine published a few words for students to
repeat on Columbus Day that year. Written by Francis Bellamy, the
circulation manager and a native of Rome, New York, and reprinted
on thousands of leaflets, was sent out to public schools across
the country. On October 12, 1892, the quadricentennial of
Columbus' arrival, more than 12 million children recited the
Pledge of Allegiance, thus beginning a required school-day
ritual.

At
the first National Flag Conference in Washington D.C., on June
14, 1923, a change was made. For clarity, the words "the
Flag of the United States" replaced "my flag". In
the following years various other changes were suggested, but
were never formally adopted.

It
was not until 1942 that Congress officially recognized the Pledge
of Allegiance. One year later, in June 1943, the Supreme Court
ruled that school children could not be forced to recite it. In
fact, today only half of our fifty states have laws that
encourage the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in the
classroom!

In June of 1954 an amendment was made to add the words
"under God". Then President Dwight D. Eisenhower said,
"In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of
religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we
shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever
will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and
war."